Soaring costs force ‘heartbreaking’ decision to close Worksop nursery

Redwood Montessori Nursery, on Newcastle Avenue, announced on Friday it would close permanently that evening – leaving parents only the weekend to find a new childcare provider.

The nursery, formerly known as Alphabet House, sent out an email to parents citing rising costs as its reason for closure.

One mother said she collected her child from the nursery on Thursday and was told ‘see you next week’ by a staff member, only to receive the email the following day.

“We just wish the manager had given us at least a week's notice,” she said.

And a staff member posted on social media that they were only told on Friday afternoon about the closure.

She said: “We are all now jobless, but mostly are devastated we have had no time to say goodbye to the children who were like our own. We are all going to miss them so much.”

Owners Megda and Howard Kelham confirmed the company is going into liquidation and said they had to make a ‘quick decision’ to close, without giving notice to parents or staff.

In a joint statement, they said: “September has been a very stressful time for us. We had to evaluate if the funding received will allow us to function, as majority of children attending the nursery rely solely on the ‘free’ childcare grant and do not purchase any additional hours.

“Unfortunately, the combination of inadequate funding, lower number of children in September and steeply growing costs has made it impossible for us to continue.

“As owners, together with our staff, we have put our hearts and souls into building Redwood Scholars Montessori school to provide Worksop children with the best early-years experience.

“It is heartbreaking and unfair that we were forced to quit by the circumstances outside our control.

“We would like to thank all parents and staff for their support in the last two-and-a-half years of our journey together. It was such a pleasure to spend wonderful time with all our attending children.”

The nursery had been under new ownership since 2020 and was rated ‘good’ in its latest Ofsted report in July.

Irene Kakoullis, Nottinghamshire Council early childhood services group manager, said: “We are sorry to hear that the nursery has found itself in such difficulties, resulting in the sudden closure of the provision.

“We remain committed to ensuring each child in Nottinghamshire has access to high quality early years provision and recognise the challenges facing early years providers at this time.

“Nationally, all childcare place funding is calculated and provided by the Department for Education as part of its dedicated schools grant.

“In Nottinghamshire, we work hard to support the sector and work closely with providers to promote sustainability. Nottinghamshire pays the highest possible hourly rate and retains the minimum amount of the dedicated schools grant for centralised costs, but recognise that running a childcare business in the current climate presents a number of financial pressures.

“For any parents who may need support to find alternative childcare, we recommend they visit our childcare pages on the Notts Help Yourself website or contact our customer service centre on 0300 500 8080.”